1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for performing calibration, a method for controlling the image processing apparatus, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In image processing apparatuses such as printers and copying machines, printing characteristics of a printer engine may change due to change in environmental conditions (for example, temperature and humidity), change in temperature of a fixing device included in the printer engine, change in charging conditions of a charging device, effects due to displacement and deformation of various components included in the printer engine, and the like. If printing is performed in a state where the printing characteristics have changed, the printing may result in outcomes different from those expected by a user, for example, different reproducibility in gradation and tint in a printed image as compared to its original image. To solve the problem, in many apparatuses, color misregistration correction processing and color tone adjustment processing is performed for every predetermined number of printed sheets, or at the time of startup. Hereinafter, the color misregistration correction processing and the color tone adjustment processing are collectively called “calibration processing”.
The calibration processing takes some time and consequently, if a user issues a print instruction during the execution, the time from the user's print instruction to the actual execution of the printing becomes longer than usual. To solve the problem, a method for determining whether to execute calibration processing based on a sensor value or the time passed since the last calibration processing to restrain the execution of the calibration processing is proposed (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-90457).
In the known method, by reducing the frequency of the execution of the calibration processing, the frequency of occurrence of printing standby states of the user can be reduced. Once the calibration processing is executed, however, the user cannot perform printing until the calibration processing is completed.